Pratt & Whitney Completes First PurePower® PW1100G-JM Engine for Airbus A320neo Family of Aircraft

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida, Oct. 26, 2012 – Pratt & Whitney has completed assembly of its first engine to test (FETT) for its PurePower® PW1100G-JM engine – the first engine to power the Airbus A320neo aircraft. Company leadership, Airbus, MTU, JAEC and employees celebrated the program milestone with a Last Bolt Ceremony at Pratt & Whitney’s West Palm Beach facility today, where the full engine is scheduled to begin testing soon. The engine, rated at 33,000 pounds of thrust, is the third member of the PurePower PW1000G family of engines to begin testing.

The PW1100G-JM engine test program will run a total of eight test engines over the next 24 months. Test engines will be built both at Pratt & Whitney’s West Palm Beach and Middletown facilities. Entry into service is scheduled for October 2015. To date, Pratt & Whitney has firm orders for 1,136 PW1100G-JM engines to power the Airbus A320neo family of aircraft.

The PurePower engine uses an advanced gear system allowing the engine’s fan to operate at a different speed than the low-pressure compressor and turbine. The combination of the gear system and an all-new advanced core delivers fuel efficiency and environmental benefits. Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower engine family testing recently exceeded 3,700 hours and 11,000 cycles of full engine testing.

Click here to read the Pratt & Whitney press release.

Coverage:

• Pratt & Whitney completes first PW1100G test engine (Flight International)
• P&W Completes First A320NEO Engine; Tests To Start Next Month (Aviation Week)
• A320neo's First Pratt & Whitney Test Engine Takes Shape (Aviation International News)
• P&W's NEO engine shows a surprising new face (Flight International)
• PurePower PW1100G-JM readies for tests (Air Transport World)
• Pratt & Whitney Completes Assembly of First Engine for Airbus A320neo (Aviation Today)
• First PurePower Engine For Airbus Finished (Hartford Courant)
• Pratt to test first PurePower for the A320neo (Hartford Business Journal)

AirInsight Offers Technical Analysis of PurePower Engine

Ernie Arvai of AirInsight recently met with Pratt & Whitney Chief Engineers Chris Kmetz and Graham Webb for a detailed discussion of the technologies used in the PurePower PW1000G engine. A full technical analysis is now posted at AirInsight. The post reviews the core of the engine, advanced manufacturing technologies and innovations beyond the gear.

"[Pratt & Whitney] has designed a new engine that isn’t simply a high technology gearbox added to an existing core, but an all new product across the board," Arvai writes. "By incorporating new technology throughout the core, and leveraging the gear to provide game changing fuel economy while minimizing maintenance costs, [P&W] feels that it has a “game changing” engine in terms of economics, and future growth potential." 

Learn more about the PurePower engine at www.purepowerengine.com. 

Coverage:

• AirInsight Technical Analysis: The Core of the PW1000G Geared Turbo-Fan

‘NASA X’ TV Show Features PurePower Engine, Technologies

NASA TV is featuring the PurePower® engine and its technologies as part of the premiere episode ("Environmentally Responsible Aviation") of its new "NASA X" program. NASA interviewed Paul Adams, senior vice president, Operations & Engineering; Alan Epstein, vice president, Technology & Environment; and Michael Winter, chief engineer, Technology, in East Hartford, Conn.

The focus of the PurePower section of the program is Pratt & Whitney's research work on high bypass jet engines with the NASA Glenn Research Center for basic technologies P&W will develop for the second generation of Geared Turbofan™ engines.

Learn more about the "NASA X" program on its Facebook page. 

Pratt & Whitney to Provide PurePower® PW1200G Engines on SkyWest, Inc. Order for 100 Mitsubishi Regional Jets

Pratt & Whitney will provide exclusive power for 100 Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) aircraft for an order announced today by Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation and SkyWest, Inc. The agreement represents 200 PurePower PW1200G engines with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2017.

Each Mitsubishi Regional Jet is powered by two PurePower PW1200G engines. To date, Pratt & Whitney has announced orders for more than 2,800 PurePower engines, including options. The PurePower family of engines uses an advanced gear system allowing the engine’s fan to operate at a different speed than the low-pressure compressor and turbine. The combination of the gear system and an all-new advanced core deliver the improvements in fuel efficiency, environmental emissions and noise. 

Click here to read the Pratt & Whitney press release.

Pratt & Whitney and JetBlue Airways Finalize Agreement for PurePower® PW1100G-JM Engines for Airbus A320neo Family Aircraft

FARNBOROUGH AIR SHOW – Pratt & Whitney and JetBlue Airways signed a definitive agreement for PurePower PW1100G-JM engines to power its order of 40 firm A320neo family aircraft finalizing the MOU announced in late 2011. The agreement includes 86 PurePower engines with a long-term PureSolutionSM maintenance service agreement. Deliveries are scheduled to start in 2018.

The PurePower engine uses an advanced gear system allowing the engine’s fan to operate at a different speed than the low-pressure compressor and turbine. The combination of the gear system and an all-new advanced core delivers double-digit improvements in fuel efficiency and environmental emissions as well as a 50 percent reduction in noise. 

Click here to read the Pratt & Whitney press release.

Visit www.purepowerengines.com for more information about the PurePower engine.

Pratt & Whitney PurePower® PW1200G Engine Successfully Completes First Flight Test Program

FARNBOROUGH AIRSHOW – The Pratt & Whitney PurePower® PW1200G engine successfully completed its first flight test program on June 21, following 23 flights and 127 hours on a specially designed stub wing aboard Pratt & Whitney's Boeing 747SP flying test bed.

The flight test program, which began on April 30, successfully validated the PW1200G engine's in-flight performance, operability and control systems. To date, Pratt & Whitney has completed more the 1,500 hours and nearly 6,000 cycles in testing the PW1200G engine, which will power Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation's Mitsubishi Regional Jet.

Click here to read the Pratt & Whitney press release. 

Norwegian Air Shuttle Selects Pratt & Whitney PurePower® PW1100G-JM Engines to Power Airbus A320neo Family Aircraft

FARNBOROUGH AIRSHOW – Pratt & Whitney and Norwegian Air Shuttle signed a memorandum of understanding to power 50 firm Airbus A320neo family aircraft with PurePower PW1100G-JM engines with first delivery scheduled in 2016.

The PurePower engine uses an advanced gear system allowing the engine’s fan to operate at a different speed than the low-pressure compressor and turbine. The combination of the gear system and an all-new advanced core delivers fuel efficiency and environmental benefits. The first PurePower PW1100G-JM engine is scheduled to begin testing by the end of this year.

Click here to read the Pratt & Whitney press release.

Cebu Pacific Air Selects Pratt & Whitney PurePower® PW1100G-JM Engines to Power Airbus A321neo Aircraft

FARNBOROUGH AIRSHOW - Cebu Pacific Air (PSE: CEB), the Philippines’ largest carrier, has selected Pratt & Whitney PurePower® PW1100G-JM engines for its order of 30 firm and 10 option A321neo aircraft. The agreement also includes a ten-year PureSolutionSM maintenance package for each engine. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2017.

The PurePower engine uses an advanced gear system allowing the engine’s fan to operate at a different speed than the low-pressure compressor and turbine. The combination of the gear system and an all-new advanced core delivers fuel efficiency and environmental benefits.

Click here to read the Pratt & Whitney press release.

Pratt & Whitney and IndiGo Finalize Agreement for 300 PurePower® PW1100G-JM Engines

FARNBOROUGH AIRSHOW - Pratt & Whitney and IndiGo signed a definitive agreement for PurePower PW1100G-JM engines for 150 Airbus A320neo family aircraft. The agreement includes 300 firm PurePower PW1100G-JM engines with additional options and a long-term PureSolutionSM maintenance agreement. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2015.

As part of this agreement, each IndiGo Airbus A320neo family aircraft will be powered by two PurePower PW1100G-JM engines with benefits including double-digit reductions in fuel burn, environmental emissions, engine noise and operating costs when compared with today’s engines.

Click here to read the Pratt & Whitney press release. 

CIT and Pratt & Whitney Finalize Agreement for PurePower® PW1100G-JM Engines for Airbus A320neo Family Aircraft

FARNBOROUGH AIRSHOW - CIT Group Inc. (NYSE: CIT), a global leader in transportation finance, and Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX), today announced from the Farnborough International Air Show that they signed a definitive agreement for 60 PurePower PW1100G engines for CIT’s order of Airbus A320neo family aircraft. This agreement follows the memorandum of understanding previously announced at the Paris Air Show in 2011. Deliveries are scheduled to start in 2016.


Each CIT Aerospace Pratt & Whitney-powered neo family aircraft will be powered by two PurePower PW1100G-JM engines with benefits including double-digit reductions in fuel burn, environmental emissions, engine noise and operating costs when compared with today’s engines.

Click here to read the Pratt & Whitney press release. 

Pratt & Whitney Welcomes Airbus A320 Family Assembly Line to United States

Pratt & Whitney welcomed an Airbus announcement on July 2 that it will establish a manufacturing facility in the United States to assemble and deliver A320 family aircraft. The new Airbus plant will be located at the Brookley Aeroplex in Mobile, Alabama, and it will be Airbus’ first U.S.-based production facility. Pratt & Whitney provides engines for the entire Airbus A320 family of aircraft - the PurePower® PW1100G-JM engine and the V2500 engine through IAE International Aero Engines.

To date, Pratt & Whitney has announced 976 firm engine orders for the PurePower PW1100G-JM engines for the A320neo family of aircraft. The PW1100G-JM engine will be the first engine to power the world’s best-selling narrowbody aircraft when it enters service in 2015.

Click here to read the Pratt & Whitney press release.

Coverage:

• Airbus Opening 1st Plant in U.S.; Pratt Welcomes News (Hartford Courant)
• Low-cost manufacturing lures Airbus to Boeing's back yard (Flight International)
• EADS to Build U.S. Assembly Line for Airbus A320 (New York Times)
• Airbus To Build Planes In Alabama, Challenging Boeing (Bloomberg News)
• Oohlalabama! Airbus finally goes American (Reuters)
• Airbus To Deliver A320s From Mobile In 2016 (Aviation Week)

Pratt & Whitney PurePower Engine Soaring Toward Certification

The Pratt & Whitney PurePower engine is soaring toward certification with flawless flight tests. Watch all the latest action in this new video. The PurePower engine is real. It works. It's ready.

Visit www.purepowerengine.com to learn more about the award-winning PW1000G engine.

Pratt & Whitney, Irkut Sign Definitive Agreement for PurePower® PW1400G Engine for MC-21 Aircraft Family

Pratt & Whitney and Russia’s Irkut Corporation signed a definitive agreement to offer the Pratt & Whitney PurePower® PW1400G engine on Irkut’s MC-21 family of aircraft. This secures the PurePower engine as the only western powerplant offered on the new narrow body program.

Irkut is developing the MC-21 as a family of 150 to 210-passenger aircraft with first flight of the PurePower® PW1400G engined aircraft planned for 2015 and entry into service in 2017. The MC-21 series will feature jetliners with 25,000-32,000 pounds of thrust.

Click here to read Pratt & Whitney's press release. 

Coverage:

• Irkut and P&W Sign Definitive Agreement (AirInsight)
• Pratt & Whitney, Irkut Seal PW1400G Deal for MC-21 (Aviation International News)
• Irkut selects PW1400G for MC-21 (Air Transport World)
• Irkut Signs $1 Bln Pratt & Whitney Engine Deal (RIA Novosti)

Paul Adams Inducted Into Connecticut Academy of Science & Engineering

Paul Adams, Pratt & Whitney’s senior vice president of Operations & Engineering, was recently inducted into the distinguished Connecticut Academy of Science & Engineering (CASE) for his outstanding contributions to jet propulsion technology.

Adams was recognized for his technical leadership in the engineering development and production of game-changing technological products such as Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower® Geared Turbofan™ (GTF) engine and the F135 engine that powers the F-35 Lightning II.

Click here to read Pratt & Whitney's press release. 

Coverage:

• CASE honors Pratt engine-designer Paul Adams (Hartford Business Journal)

Hess: ‘It's a Transformational Period in Our Core Engine Businesses'

Video Credit: Royal Aeronautical Society, via YouTube

Pratt & Whitney President David Hess was the guest of honor at the Royal Aeronautical Society's annual banquet in London on May 16. The event typically draws 400 to 500 guests from all sectors of aerospace and aligns with the society's mission of advancing aeronautical art, science and engineering around the world.

While in London, Hess was interviewed by Tim Robinson of the Royal Aeronautical Society. In the 23-minute interview, Hess fielded general questions about Pratt & Whitney's business and provided an update on the development of the PurePower engine. The interview also covered the company's aftermarket business, focus areas – performance, cost reduction – on the F135 engine program, the history of the geared turbofan concept and step changes in engine efficiency over time.

Speaking in his role as chairman of the Aerospace Industries Association, Hess also described the biggest challenge – budget sequestration – facing the aerospace and defense industry in the United States.

Pratt & Whitney PurePower® PW1200G Engine Begins First Flight Test Program

The Pratt & Whitney PurePower® PW1200G engine successfully completed its first flight on April 30, launching the engine family’s flight test program. The PW1217G engine for the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) aircraft flew on a specially designed stub wing aboard Pratt & Whitney’s Boeing 747SP flying test bed at the company’s Mirabel Aerospace Centre, in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada.

Pratt & Whitney PurePower® PW1200G Engine Takes to the Skies

The Pratt & Whitney PurePower® PW1200G engine successfully completed its first flight on April 30, launching the engine family’s flight test program. The PW1217G engine for the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) aircraft flew on a specially designed stub wing aboard Pratt & Whitney’s Boeing 747SP flying test bed at the company’s Mirabel Aerospace Centre, in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada.

This initial PW1200G flight test program will validate performance, engine operability and in-flight starting.

Coverage:

• P&W begins MRJ GTF flight tests (Air Transport World)
• Pratt & Whitney Starts Flight Tests Of MRJ Engine (Aviation Week)

P&W Canada 747SP Visits Connecticut

Low-flying 747 in East Hartford: wtnh.com 

The Pratt & Whitney Canada 747SP flying test bed flew over the Pratt & Whitney facilities in East Hartford and Middletown, Conn., on Wednesday. The aircraft, visiting Connecticut for Pratt & Whitney's Media Day, has a PurePower PW1217G engine on a specially designed stub wing. The engine successfully completed its first flight on April 30.

Coverage:

• A Flyover Highlights Pratt & Whitney's Plans for Dramatic Growth (Fox 61)
• 747 Makes Low Pass Over Hartford Area (NBC 30)
• Low-Flying 747 in East Hartford (WTNH)
• 747 Flies Low Over Greater Hartford Towns (WFSB)

Hess Discusses Benefits of PurePower Engine in Bloomberg Interview

Pratt & Whitney President David Hess was interviewed by Willow Bay of Bloomberg News at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles, Calif., on Monday. Airlines need more efficient aircraft with fuel efficient engines, Hess said, and Pratt & Whitney’s new engine technology can help.

Visit http://www.purepowerengine.com/ to learn more about Pratt & Whitney's PurePower engine.

Saia Gives AirInsight a PurePower Program Update at ISTAT

Bob Saia, vice president, Next Generation Product Family, was interviewed by Addison Schonland of AirInsight at the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading (ISTAT) Americas conference in Scottsdale, Ariz., this week. In the interview, Saia provides an update on the PurePower engine program.

The PurePower program has tested nine engines to date, with approximately 2,000 hours of full engine testing and about 5,000 cycles of endurance testing. These tests have demonstrated fuel efficiency and low noise - and the capability of the engine. The PurePower engine is real, it works, and it's flying today.